Opportunistic infection
From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia
Opportunistic infections are infections caused by pathogens that usually do not cause disease in a immune system. These pathogens take this "opportunity" to cause an infection.
Immunodeficiency or immunosuppression can be caused by:
- Malnutrition
- Recurrent infections
- Immunosuppressing agents for organ transplant recipients
- Chemotherapy for cancer
- AIDS or HIV-infection
- Genetic predisposition
- Skin damage
- Antibiotic treatment
- Medical procedures
These infections include:
- Pneumocystis jirovecii, previously known as Pneumocystis carinii f. hominis
- Candida albicans
- Staphylococcus aureus
- Streptococcus pyogenes
- Pseudomonas aeruginosa
- Acinetobacter baumanni
- Toxoplasma gondii
- Cytomegalovirus
- Aspergillus sp.
- Kaposi's Sarcoma
Treatment depends on the type of opportunistic infection, but usually involves different antibiotics.